Begun by Robert and Alma Watchorn in 1932, the event bearing their name, the Watchorn Lincoln Dinner, is happening Saturday (February 12) at the University of Redlands’ Orton Center.

February 12, if you remember from elementary school, happens to be Lincoln’s birthday.

The festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The speaker for this year’s dinner is attorney and author James L. Swanson, who happens to share Lincoln’s birthday and has studied Lincoln’s life and death since he was ten years old.

Swanson’s New York Times best-selling book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” recounts the April 14 to April 26, 1865, search for John Wilkes Booth through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland and into the woods of Virginia.

It is currently being worked into a screenplay for a major Hollywood production.

He is also the co-author with Dan Weinberg of a photo history of the assassination, “Lincoln’s Assassins: Their Trial and
Execution.”

In addition to Mr. Swanson’s presentation, the evening will include a
medley of Civil War songs sung by the Redlands Community Chorus, as well as brief remarks from local dignitaries and Lincoln Shrine officials.

Cost for the dinner is $40. Reservations can be made by calling the Heritage Room at 909-798-7632 or by emailing them at heritage@akspl.org.

Click here more information on the Lincoln Shrine and the Watchorn Lincoln Dinner.